LONGMONT -- At-large Councilwoman Sarah Levison was the only incumbent who managed to stay on the Longmont City Council, topping a four-candidate field on Tuesday.

Levison, who had come into office in 2007, said she'd still be able to work with the new council.

"I worked with the councils elected in '07 and '09 and I'll work with the council in 2011 and beyond," Levison said. "You work with the people the voters choose."

Levison led throughout the night on Tuesday, while her nearest challengers, former councilman Ron Gallegos and funeral director Heath Carroll, fought it out for second place.

"Maybe it's just that I work really hard and people recognize that I'm going to continue to work hard ," said Levison, who has cultivated a reputation for reading the council's lengthy information packets cover-to-cover. "The expectation is you're going to do everything you can and it's necessary."

Carroll, whose backers included the Longmont Association of Realtors, said he was pleased with his first-time run and would be back to try again.

"I'm proud of what we did," he said. "When you've got four people going up against each other, it's hard to defeat an incumbent."

'We knew it was kind of an uphill battle," Gallegos agreed. "We ran a good 'idea' campaign, but I did not count on receiving a lot of money -- and money is the mother's milk of politics."

Retail worker James Young, who brought up the back of the pack, said he enjoyed the experience and would try again. Young was the only candidate to spend and receive no money during the campaign.

"It's not heartbreaking," Young said. "It is disappointing, but nothing more. ... I will run again and I'll be better prepared."

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